The BYOD movement is reaching the halls of government.

The same mobile technology trends affecting the business
world are rippling through the federal government. As federal agencies look to
become more efficient, they’re embracing the same bring your own device (BYOD) approach that’s washing over the
private sector and, not surprisingly, facing many of the same challenges.

Mobility is rapidly becoming a must-have capability,
according to CDW-G’s first Federal Mobility Report. The IT retailer surveyed
414 federal employees and IT staff and found that 99 percent of IT
professionals report that they have deployed mobile devices to their workforce and
62 percent allow personal devices for work. Overall, 60 percent of federal
employees use laptops, 36 percent rely on smartphones and 9 percent use
tablets.

“Mobility is the 'new normal’ for Federal employees. It is no longer a nice-to-have capability,
says Neal Campbell, senior vice president of CDW.

The BYOD trend will certainly gain further momentum, thanks
to a directive signed by President Obama in November 2011. It limits the use of
IT devices, including mobile technology, in order to reduce costs.

The study also found that agencies are approaching mobile security
with mixed results. On the upside, an overwhelming 85 percent of agencies have
introduced mobile data security policies and 84 percent require data security
training for mobile users. IT professionals also report that 82 percent of
agencies use mobile encryption.

On the downside, only 54 percent rely on multi-factor
authentication, 45 percent use remote wipe, 44 percent have set up automatic
software updates, 43 percent have deployed tools to prevent unauthorized
downloads and 39 percent use data loss prevention software. As a rule, best
practice organizations use these tools to build a more comprehensive security
strategy.

The study also found that government agencies are lagging in
the adopting of mobile device management (MDM) solutions. Although 71 percent
of agencies say that they include MDM in their security efforts, many are not
using the full suite of capabilities it offers.

Bob Kirby, vice president of federal government for CDW-G,
says that agencies can benefit by adopting best practices. These include:
evaluating and/or establishing a BYOD policy; assessing MDM requirements;
auditing MDM tools to ensure that they meet the agency’s security goals; and
incorporating the personal devices employees use into an agency’s MDM strategy.

“Federal employees are clamoring for mobile capabilities,” Campbell
explains. However, “As mobile device use expands, it is more important than
ever to lock down data and devices.”